Decorating apparatus for hollow ceramic ware



March 14, 1961 w. E. COPE ETAL 2,974,584

DECORATING-APPARATUS FOR HOLLOW CERAMIC WARE Filed Sept. 2, 1959 5| 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

INVENTORS. F 4 WILLIAM E. COPE a BY DAVID E. TOMKINS ATTORNEYS March 14, 1961 w. E. COPE Em 2,974,584

DECORATING APPARATUS FOR HOLLOW CERAMIC WARE Filed Sept. 2, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIII QH 64 -26 IN VEN TORS.

WILLIAM E. COPE. 8 y DAVID E.TOMKINS ATTORNEYS DECORATING APPARATUS FOR HOLLOW CERAMIC WARE William E. Cope, Beloit, Ohio, and David E. Tomkins,

New Castle, Pa., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Shenango. China, Inc., New Castle, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania for ceramic ware, and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically decorating the periphery of articles such nite Sttcs Patent as cups and other hollow ware by engaging the ware with a stamp or printing graphic pattern.

Conventional apparatus for decorating hollow ware is limited in its flexibility inasmuch as it frequently cannot be utilized in the decoration of the periphery of various sizes and shapes of ware.- Many of the known wareprinting machines are additionally limited in their use to the printing of decorations around the entire periphery of the ware aridcannot be used, alternatively, to stamp a single design, such as an insignia, on only a portion of the external surface. Finally, a number of the presently used apparatus are objectionable by reason of their inability to stamp or print decorations rapidly, due to a substantial portion of the cycle of operation being lost between the completion of the printing of one piece and the beginning of the printing of the succeeding piece of ware.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a versatile apparatus for decorating the external surface of hollow ware either with a stamp at one location on the periphery or by means of a printing plate which prints partly or entirely around the periphery. An-

plate having the desired typoother object is to provide an apparatus for decorating round and out-of-round hollow ware. 1

A further object of the invention is the provision of a versatile decorating apparatus for decorating articlesat a relatively high rate of speed with a minimum of time lost in the cycle of operation between the completion of the printing of one piece and the commencement of printing of a succeeding piece. A still further object and advantage of this invention is that its operation may be fully automatic, that is, the operator merely loads and unloads the ware as the machine goes through its repet- Q itive cycles of operation, or the initiation of each cycle may be controlled manually by the operator.

A particular advantage of the machine is not only that it may be quickly set up to print or stamp decorations on successive lots of ware of greatly difierent shapes and sizes, but regardless of the shape or size, the printing or stamping can be of high and uniform quality, both as to similar pieces in a lot and at all points throughout the decoration on any given piece.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional side elevation of the apparatus taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the invention. a

Fig, 4 is an illustration of the various spindlepaths invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a base 5 having legs 6 supporting a pair of horizontally disposed rails 8. A table 9 is mounted for reciprocal motion on the rails 3 by means of guides in the underside of the table and is reciprocated by either a double-acting cylindcr 12 secured to the base 5 by brackets 13 and a piston lil secured to the table or by two opposed singleacting cylinders.

A platform 14 is reciprocal along guide members 16 carried by the table in a direction perpendicular to the travel of the table. Means are provided for positively driving the platform toward a normally relatively fixed printing plate 34 (shown in phantom View in Figs. 1 and 2) and for permitting return of the platform to a position spaced from the plate under the influence of a constantly acting biasing means. In the illustrated embodiment, the positive, drive for the platform is provided by a single acting cylinder 19 secured to the platform by a bracket 21, the piston 18 of the cylinder being fixed to an end of the table, while the biasing means may take the form of springs 17 secured between the platform and the table. Since the function of the biasing means is only to urge the platform away from the printing plate, it will be apparent that it may be other than the specific structure as shown. For example, the ends of the springs suitably pivotally mounted to permit them to swing with the travel of the table may be attached to the frame of the machine instead of to the table. It is further contemplated that a suitable weight, and suspended over a sheave supported by the frame, attached by a flexible connection to the platform may be used as the biasing means.

Attached to the platform 14 and extending in a direction parallel to guide members 16 are tracks 22 form ing a trackway along which a carrier 23 is mounted for reciprocal movement by co-operating guide journals 24. A manually operated lead screw 25 having a crank 26 at one end is preferably journaled in bracket 27 mounted at one end of the platform while the opposite end of the lead screw is threaded in brackets 35 which support a cylinder 30, the piston rod 36 of the cylinder being fixedly secured to a brace 28 depending from the carrier. If necessary, laterally extending ears 38 may be provided on the cylinder which overlie tracks 22 to prevent the cylinder from rotating as the lead screw is turned. The carrier 23 is constantly urged away from the bracket 27 by a constant fluid pressure which is maintained in the cylinder by means of a conduit 39 connected to a constant pressure source, such as a constant pressure pump or an accumulator (not shown). A split ring 45 or similar stop means is provided within the cylinder near its outer end to limit outward movement of the piston rod 36 and to permit the carrier 23 to be drawn toward the bracket 27 by the cylinder 30 when the latter element is so'moved by the lead screw 25.

A spindle 31, rotatably journalled on carrier 23 and extending upwardly therefrom, carries a chuck 33 removably mounted thereon. The chuck 33 is designed to tightly engage the interior surface of the hollow ware and to hold the same as the ware is rolled along the printing plate 34 in a direction parallel to rails 8.

If a machine made according to this invention is to be used only for round ware in which any slight out-ofroundness may be accommodated by resilience of the printing plate 34 and/or the chuck 33, the cylinder 30 and piston 36 may be eliminated, and the drive of the 33 and plate 34 is regulated by the fluid pressure in the line 39 after adjustment of the lead screw 25 to insure contact between the ware and the printing plate at the minimum radius of the ware in case the ware is slightly or substantially out-of-round. Adjustment of the lead screw with the consequent movement of cylinder 30, carrier 23 and spindle 31 with respect to platform 14 increases the flexibility of the machine in handling ware of varying sizes. For example, when an article having a relatively large diameter is to be decorated, it is merely necessary to adjust screw 25 and move the spindle to the left as shown in Fig. 3 to achieve proper clearance between the article and the plate instead of increasing the stroke of platform 14 which would increase the cycle time of the machine, as will be evident from the description below.

The cycle operation of the machine is controlled by limit switches 49, 41, 42, and 43 shown in Fig. 1. Limit switches 49 and 41 are adjustably mounted for movement parallel to the printing plate 34 at opposite ends of base plate 5, and switches 42 and 43 are adjustably mounted on the table 9 at opposite ends of the path of movement of platform 14, the switches being electrically connected to solenoid valves 46 and 52 which control actuation of cylinders 12 and 19, respectively. The limit switch 40 may be actuated by a replaceable or adjustable contact button or rod 37 carried by the end of the table 9 so that the length of the travel of the table 9 on the rails 8 may be regulated by the distance the rod 37 protrudes beyond the edge of the table. The switch 41 is normally contactcd by a relatively fixed button or bracket (not shown) carried by the other end of the table 9. When table 9, through the contact rod 37, contacts switch 40, valve 46 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 in which one end of cylinder 12 is connected to a fluid pressure source through conduits 47 and 48, and the opposite end of the cylinder is exhausted through conduits 49 and 51. Actuation of switch 40 also causes valve 52 to connect cylinder 19 to exhaust through conduits 53 and 54. Switches 41 and 42 are in series and when actuated close valve 46 to pressure and exhaust. The latter switches may also be connected to valve 52 through a timed holding relay whereby cylinder 19 is connected to a suitable pressure source through conduits 53 and S6 at a predetermined interval following actuation of the switches. Limit switch 43 is connected to valve 46 andwhen actuated connects conduit 49 to the pressure source and conduit 48 to exhaust.

The sequence of operation of the machine varies according to the type of printing required. If the full periphery of the article is being decorated, or more of the periphery than can be decorated by instantaneous contact between the article and stamping plate 34, an article suitably indexed and mounted on the article holding means 29 contacts plate 34 with the spindle at point A as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 at which time switch 43 is closed. As the instant switch 43 is closed, the spindle is unlocked by any suitable means (not shown) and cylinder 12 is pres- V surized through conduits 47 and 49 whereby table 9 is moved along rails 8 causing the hollow article to roll along the stamping plate to point B. At the moment the spindle reaches point B switch 40 is closed, opening cylinder 19 to exhaust and pressurizing cylinder 12 through conduit 48, conduit 49 being simultaneously connected to exhaust. The opening of cylinder 19 to exhaust permits springs 17 to draw the carrier and article holding means away from the plate 34 at the same time that cylinder 12 is driving the table 9 back to its original position whereby the spindle is caused to move along the path shown in Fig. 5 to point C at which time switches 41 and 42 are 4 simultaneously closed. Decorated ware may then be removed by the operator and Undecorated ware placed on the spindle for the next cycle. If the cycle is manually initiated, the operator then actuates a pedal or the like which causes the valve 52 to admit pressure to cylinder 19 thereby starting a new cycle. If the cycle is to be 1'1 automatically initiated a timed holding relay is arranged in parallel with the starting pedal and is actuated by the closing of switches 41 and 42.

The full cycle detailed above has been described in connection with a round article in which the spindle moves in a straight line path from points A to B. If, however, an out-of-round article is to be decorated, the yieldable connecting means between the lead screw and the carrier comprised of cylinder 30 and piston rod 36 will permit limited movement of the carrier on tracks 22 as the ware is rolled along the plate whereby the spindle is free to follow a variety of paths between points A and B (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4) depending upon the configuration of the ware. The constant pressure cylinder 30 affords a constant pressure between the ware and the plate so that the printed decoration may be as clear and distinct as when a round article is printed. It is thus apparent that because of the unique construction in which the primary moving element 9 is arranged to travel in a path parallel to the stamping plate 34, ware which is slightly or substantially out-of-round can be decorated with the same speed and accurateness as a perfectly round article.

The preferred cycle of the apparatus is one in which the spindle travels an essentially triangular path. The great advantage of such a path is that a relatively small portion of the cycle time is devoted to returning the spindle to its starting point after completing of printing, as compared to an apparatus in which the spindle follows 2. rectangular or other shaped path which does not return the spindle from its position at the completion of the printing phase to its starting point in a direction having a component perpendicular to the printing plate and a simultane/ ous component parallel to such displacement of the spindle along the printing plate as occurred during the printing phase.

The minimum non-productive cycle time and ready flexibility of a machine made according to this invention in printing wares of different sizes results from the fact that the positions of the limit switches 40 and 41 on the base plate 5 vary the length of travel of the table 9 within the total travel permitted by the cylinder 12. For minor changes in the length of travel, the limit switches are adjusted with the limit of the adjustable supports securing the switches to the table 9. For substantial increments decreasing the substantially full travel shown in Fig. 1, the rod 37 carried at the edge of the table 9 is quickly and simply adjusted (or replaced by a larger rod) to strike the limit switch 40 sooner and thereby shorten the travel of the table 9. Thus, with full travel, a machine as shown in Fig. 1 could print the entire periphery of a large bowl and, then, by shortening the travel of the table 9, print the periphery of a small piece of ware, such as a demitasse cup, or merely print a short are of a periphery if a short linear print is required.

Often the ware only requires a single impression which can be obtained by instantaneous contact of the ware on the plate without rotation of the spindle. For such operation of the machine, termed part-cycle, a selection switch is provided which disconnects the various valves and limit switches and reconnects them for the following operation.

With the spindle 31 at point C and the table 9 held at the position shown in Fig. 1 by fluid in cylinder 12, the op erator presses the start pedal to throw the valve 52 open to pressure (or the valve is opened by the timer relay if part-cycle operation is to be automatic). The platform 14 moves toward the plate until the limit switch 43 is closed, closing the valve 52 to pressure and opening it to exhaust as the ware contacts the plate 34. The constantly acting spring 17 instantly move the platform away from the plate until the switch 42 is closed, the bleed of the valve 52 breaking the return of the platform. The part-cycle simply ends if the part-cycle is manually initiated and closing the switch 42 performs no function. If the part-cycle is automatic, the switch 42 is placed in series with the timer relay which is in parallel with the start pedal so as to provide a period of time in which the operator removes the printed ware and puts a piece of unprinted ware on the spindle 31. The spindle is usually latched against rotation during part-cycle operation and the ware is placed in an indexed position on the spindle chuck.

Although the path of the spindle with respect to the printing plate or stamp is but a straight line in such partcycle operation, the interrelationship of part-cycle operation and full-cycle operation is revealed by the fact that the straight line path of the spindle simply represents a limiting condition in which the travel of the spindle parallel to the printing plate during the printing phase has been shortened to zero. In either fullor part-cycle the reversible drive for the carrier 23 is operated only as the occasion requires to accommodate different sizes and' shapes of Ware. During part-cycle operation, the ware may also, of course, be round or out-of-round. It is to be understood that the term out-of-round applies not only to round ware which has become slightly distorted in firing but also to 'ware which is elliptical or even approximately polygonal. 7

It is to be understood'that, as a general practice, the printing plate or stamp whose location is indicated by the reference number 34 is inked following the printingphase of each cycle while the decorated ware is being returned to the initial position and/or while the undecorated ware is being brought toward the printing plate. Since various suitable printing plates, and stamps, the means for supporting them in position, and the means for inking the plate in synchronism with the ware decorating cycle are well known or need only be modified to accommodate them to this particular machine, they form no part of this invention and have been omitted for sake of. ,clarity of illustration.

7 Various drives for rotating the spindle in synchronism as the periphery of the ware rolls against the printing plate may be employed. Experience has shown that; in the machines made according to this invention, such drives (conventionally frictional), if needed at all, usually are ent pieces of ware in a lot or on different areas of the print on a single piece has been attributed to the tendency of the ware to slip with respect to the printing plate as the ware rolls along the plate, since the ink on the printing plate may be rather oily and tends to act as a lubricant between the ware and the printing plate surface. In theory a spindle drive maintaining a constant rotational spindle speed so that the peripheral speed of the ware is equal to the linear speed of the spindle with respect to the printing plate should eliminate such smearing and smudging. In practice such devices have not necessarily been effective because they usually fail to accommodate slight or substantial differences in the radii of different pieces of ware in a lot or in a single piece of Ware which may be out-of-round and, thus, the consequent variation of instant printing pressures. The uniform prints obtainable with a machine made according to this invention may be attributable to factors quite independent of any spindle rotating drive, namely, the close regulation of printing pressure obtainable and the smooth, relatively vibrationless hydraulic drive of the table, platform, and carrier. Any constantly or regularly intermittently operating mechanical drives can set up vibrations anywhere in the ware translating mechanism which, together with the instant accelerations, can cause unsatisfactory print on the ware.

It will be apparent from the detailed description above that this invention provides a highly versatile and flexible machine adapted to decorate a wide range of sizes and shapes of hollow ware at relatively greater speeds than heretofore possible, and that the cycle of the machine can be readily varied so that the entire periphery of articles can be decorated. as well as. any segment of the periphery.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing specifically illustrated form is intended to disclose only a preferred embodiment of the invention. This description does not exclude changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Whatis claimed is:

. ,1. In an apparatus for decorating articles comprising an elongated stamping means, a first guide means extending parallel to thelength of said stamping means, table means mounted for reciprocation along said first guide means, second guide means mounted on said table means and extending in a direction perpendicular to said first guide means and to the length of said stamping means, a platform mounted for reciprocation along said secondguide means toward and away from. said stamping means, a rotatable article holder means connecting said article holder to said platform so that movement of said article holder and platform toward said stamping means will press an article held by said article holder against said stamping means, first drive means for reciprocating said table means whereby an article held by said article holder against said stamping means will be rolled along said stamping means from a first position to a second position, biasing means connected to said platform for urging said platform and article holder toward a third ment of said article holder to the third position under the influence of said biasing means, and means for controlling operation of the first and second drive means whereby said article holder is moved in a substantially triangular path between said first, second and third positions.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for varying the distance between the first and second positions and between the third and first positions.

3. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said article holder to said platform includes means permitting movement of said article holder with respect to said platform in a direction perpendicular to the length of said stamping means whereby the distance between the stamping means and the path of movement of the article holder from the first to second positions can be varied to accommodate articles having different diameters.

4. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said latter mentioned means is resiliently connected to said article holder whereby the distance between the article holder and the stamping means can vary as the article holder moves from the first to the second position.

5. In an apparatus for decorating the exterior of hollow ceramic articles comprising an elongated stamping means, table means, means mounting said table means for reciprocation in a direction parallel to the length of said stamping means, first drive means for reciprocating said table means, a platform, means mounting said platform on said table means for reciprocal movement toward and away from said stamping means, guide means mounted on said platform, said guide means extending parallel to said guide means with respect to said stamping means, said actuating means being mounted on said platform and connected to said carrier, a rotatable article holder mounted on said carrier, biasing means for constantly urging said platform and article holder away from said stamping means, and second drive means connected to said table means and platform for driving said platform and article holder toward said stamping means to place an article on said article holder against said stamping means, whereby said article may be rolled along said stamping means by actuation of said first drive means.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim wherein said actuating means comprises a lead screw threadedly engaged with the platform and connected to the carrier, said lead screw extending in a direction parallel to said guide means.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 including control means for controlling operation of said first and second drive means whereby said table may be held at a fixed position and said platform and article holder moved toward and away from said stamping means by intermittent actuation of said second drive means.

8. In an apparatus for decorating out-of-round articles comprising an elongated stamping means, table means, means mounting said table means for reciprocation in a direction parallel to the length of said stamping means, first drive means for reciprocating said table means, a platform, means mounting said platform on said table means for reciprocal movement toward and away from said stamping means, guide means mounted on said platform, said guide means extending parallel to the direction of movement of said platform, a carrier mounted for reciprocal movement on said guide means, a lead screw having one end threadedly engaged with said platform, a constant pressure cylinder being fixed against rotation with the lead screw, a piston in said cylinder having a piston rod secured to said carrier, a rotatable article holder mounted on said carrier, biasing means connected to said platform for urging said platform away from said stamping means, and second drive means connected to said table means and platform for driving said platform toward said stamping means whereby actuation of said second drive means and adjustment of said lead screw will place an article on said article holder in resilient rolling contact with said stamping means and actuation of said first drive means will roll the article along said stamping means, said cylinder maintaining a constant pressure between said article and stamping means.

9. In an apparatus for decorating articles comprising an elongated means having a stamping face, table means mounted for reciprocation along said stamping face, a platform mounted for reciprocation on said tablemcans toward and away from said stamping face, a rotatable article holder, means connecting said holder to said platform, first drive means for reciprocating said table means whereby the article holder will be driven from a first'position to a second position with an article on the article holder in rolling contact with the stamping face, biasing means connected to said platform for urging said article holder toward a third position when an article on said article holder is spaced from said stamping face, a second drive means connected to said table means and platform for driving the article holder from the third position to the first position where an article on said article holder is in peripheral contact with said stamping face, said second drive means permitting return movement of the article holder from the first to third positions under the infiuence of said biasing means, and means controlling the operation of said first and second drive means whereby the first drive means is. actuated to drive the article holder from the first position to the second position when the article holder is moved from the third to the first position, said first drive means and said biasing means being effective to return the article holder to said third position when the article holder arrives at said second position whereby said article holder is moved in a substantially triangular path between said first, second and third positions.

10. The structure as claimed in claim 9 wherein said means for controlling the operation of said first and second drive means includes limit switches disposed in the paths of movement of said table means and platform and operatively connected to said first and second drive means, and relatively movable limit switch actuating means for contacting said limit switch upon predetermined movement of said table means and platform, said limiting switch and limit switch actuating means being relatively adjustable for varying the distance between said first and second positions and between said third and first positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,767,577 Buchanan et al. June 30, 1930 2,221,711 Kurkjian Nov. 12, 1940 2,425,928 Emerson Aug. 19, 1947 2,716,378 George Aug. 30, 1955 2,756,671 Cope July-30, 1956 

